Rebound check for golf club shafts



4 Lard April 27, 1937. A. E. LARD REBOUND CHECK FOR GOLF CLUB SHAFTSFiled Nov. 30, 1936 Patented Apr. 27, 1937 REISSUED UITED STATES PATETOFFICE REBOUND CHECK FOR GOLF CLUB SHAFTS Allan E. Lard, Washington, D.0.

Application November 30, 1936, Serial No. 113,510

13 Claims. (Cl. 273-80) This invention relates to tubular steel-shafted20 inches from the small end of the shaft. The golf clubs, andparticularly to clubs of the irons dowel may be made tapered and thenslitted as type. It is a well known fact that steel-shafted indicated ati in Figures 2 and 3, with a thin irons tend to impart to the fingers,upon imslitting saw, for example one .009 inch thick, to

5 pact with the ball, an unpleasant or stinging senwithin 2 inches ofthe small end, the dowel being 5 sation which is not present in thehickory shaft. trued up circularly, or it may be made of two Thisundesirable feature in the steel shaft is due half-round inch sections15 and 16, as shown to the excess speed of the rebound or reaction inFigure 5, the head ends of which are glued Vibration of the steel shaftover hickory, and partogether for a distance of about 2 inches as at l Iticularly to the first rebound after impact of the and then turned tofit in the internal wall, the 10 blade with the ball. Said impact flexesthe steel half-rounds being pinned together to facilitate shaftbackwardly and an almost instantaneous rethe turning operation, saidpins being subsequentj bound occurs, and it is the force and speed ofthis ly withdrawn.

rebound or its re-action rebound or rebounds By either method ofconstruction the dowel is l5 that cause the aforesaid unpleasant orstinging formed approximately 20 inches long having two sensation.prongs 5 and 6, 18 inches long extending up from The main object of thisinvention is to eliminthe small end, both prongs having opposing flatate this objectionable feature in the steel golf faces which bear oneach other and have a relashaft. tively sliding movement under thefiexure and In the drawing which accompanies and forms rebound ofimpact. 20 a part of the following specification and through- About oneinch from the upper end of one of out the several figures of which thesame charthe prongs, of either construction, for example acters ofreference have been employed to desthe prong 6 in Figure 2, is sawed 01?with a saw ignate identical parts, 1 of an inch in width and thesawed-off section Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the front side I isglued to the opposite prong, in its original 25 of a steel golf club.relation to the same, and additionally secured Figure 2 is alongitudinal section through the with tight-fitting wood pegs 8 dippedin glue. shaft showing the vibration absorbing member There is now aspace of 1 inch (width of the in its maximum state of displacement, theshaft saw) between the end of the short prong 6 and p. being inrectilinear position, said member being its sawed-off section 1. Arubber half-disk 9 30 slit. is provided, about inch thick in its relaxedt Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 the lower state. The dowel isflexed backwardly to the expart being omitted and the shaft being shownin tent of the maximum fiexure of a full shot and it the flexed positionupon impact with the ball is preferably steamed and set in this bowedposishowing the rubber vibration absorber in relaxed tion. The backwardflexing of the dowel in- 5 position. creas the t; inch wide space orslot to about Figure 4 is a cross section taken along the line inch inwidth by the relative sliding movement 4-4 of Figure 2. which takesplace between the flat abutting sur- Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectionshowing a faces of the prongs 5 and E5. The rubber half- .40 modifiedform of dowel, made from two half disk is inserted in said space or slotwhile the round sections. latter is thus spread, the thickness of therubber Figure 6 is a cross section taken along the line being about thesame width as the slot while the 6-5 of Figure 5. latter is in extendedposition. The diameter of Figure 7 is a cross section through a modifiedthe rubber half-disk 9 is made slightly less than .45 form of vibrationabsorber, and the diameter of the half-round end of the short Figure 8is a plan View of the same. prong 6 to provide room for the displacementof Referring now in detail to the several figures, the rubber half-diskas shown at 9a in Figure 3.

the numeral i represents in general a tubular In that form of theinvention shown in Figures tapered steel golf shaft, about 36 incheslong, of 5 and 6, the two half-round sections of the dowel .50 the usualtype having a midiron 2 attached theremay be hollowed out as indicatedat H) to within to. A light wooden dowel 3 preferably of pine about 2inches of the top. This reduces the and about 20 inches long is turnedto fit the inweight. When two halves are employed the ho1- ternal wallof the shaft l, a slight tolerance belowing is a fast manufacturingoperation. ing left for a purpose hereinafter described, the In eitherform of the invention, the split dowel .55 dowel extending for adistance of approximately is inserted in the tubular steel shaft withthe convex side of the half-disk 8 toward the front and it is pushedinto the shaft so as to make a snug fit with the inner Wall of theshaft, but not so tight as to prevent-the abutting faces of the splitfrom sliding-relative to one another. The dowel preferably terminates atthe end of the shaft and is retained in place by a circumferential crimpl9 pressed into the shaft and entering the wood. After the dowel hasbeen steamed and set in bowed shape as described it acquires an inherentstress when forced into the shaft which provides an additionalresistance to the rebound. The shaft is inserted in the hosel of thehead 2 in such a manner that the rubber half-disk faces in the directionof that side of the head which contacts the ball, and is pinned with theusual rivet II. Since, at the time the assemblers receive the tubularshaft the dowel is concealed therein,it is essential that the shaft'bemarked in some way so that the shaft can be secured to the head inproper relation with respect to the front or disk side and the strikingface. The front or disk side may be readily indicated by a V-notch 52,Figure 1, or other suitable index, filed in the upper end of the shaft,the leather grip being partly removed to show the same.

Upon impact with the ball the shaft is flexed backwardly as in Figure 3and an almost instantaneous rebound occurs as before stated. Thisrebound is checked by the end l3 of the short prong 5 with itspiston-like action, moving against the rubber half-disk and forcing saiddisk into its displaced position against a thin rubber sock l8 drawnover the dowel to prevent the same rattling against the wall of theshaft in the event the dowel should shrink. This rubber sock alsoprovides rubber which can be displaced. The normal length of the sock isabout 10 inches and is stretched to cover the length of the entiredowel. When the shaft on its first rebound attains its normal straightposition, the rubber half-disk is flush with the outside surface of thedowel and therefore pressing against the sock l8. Rubber, whiledisplaceable under pressure, is incompressible, so that whatever reboundis still in the shaft in excess of that which was checked by theresistance of the rubber half-disk to displacement, is now furtherchecked by the displacement of the sock l8 in contact with thehalf-disk. All rebounds, reactions or vibrations after impact are,therefore checked, thus reducing or nullifying the former vibrations ofthe steel shaft.

Figures 7 and 8 show that instead of employing a solid piece of rubberfor the half-disk, I may substitute a cloth covered rubber bag It filledwith air, preferably slightly compressed and sealed. The end thrust ofthe short prong 6 compresses the air in the bag and thus checks therebounds of the shaft in play, the internal wall of the shaft and theslot l3 forming a container for said bag.

As has been previously stated, the Wooden dowel should be insertedfirmly in place in the steel shaft, but not with sufficient pressure toprevent the flat faces of the split dowel from sliding against oneanother.

The present invention does not confine the construction of the dowel towood. I may employ any suitable composition material or metal, such asaluminum. Neither is it essential that the shaft be tapered for ifdesired, a shaft and dowel that are not tapered may be employed.

While I have in the above disclosure described What I believe to be thepreferred and practical forms of my invention, it will be understood toacting to check the rebounds of said golf shaft in play, said splitmember being provided with a recess expansible in width under fiexion ofsaid member and flexed backwardly to receive said rubber bumper.

2. In a golf club, a tubular steel golf shaft, a

, split member inserted in said shaft, said member having two prongshaving relative sliding,

movement under fiexions of said shaft, a rubber bumper between saidprongs, said prongs coacting through the intermediary of said bumper tocheck the rebounds of said shaft in play.

3. In a golf club, a tubular steel golf shaft, a split member insertedin said shaft, one of the parts of said member defined by said splitcomprising a prong with a piston-like movement relative to the otherpart of said member, a resisting rubber element between the parts ofsaid split member and Which the end portion of said prong impacts,acting to check the rebounds of said shaft in play, said rubber elementbeing provided with room for limited displacement under end pressurefrom said prong.

4. In a golf club, a tubular steel golf shaft, a two-piece memberinserted in said shaft, one of the pieces of said member comprising aprong with a piston-like movement, a resisting rubber element which theend portion of said prong impacts acting to check the rebounds of saidshaft in play, said rubber element being provided with room for limiteddisplacement under pressure.

5. In a golf club, a tubular steel golf shaft, a two-piece memberinserted in said shaft, one piece of said member constituting 2. prongwith a piston-like movement, a flexible bag of air between the end ofsaid prong and the other part of said member acting to check therebounds of said shaft in play.

6. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft, a rebound check extendingthrough a substantial length of said shaft and making firm contact withthe surface thereof, comprising a member of circular cross sectionlongitudinally divided by a split of no width, from a point a shortdistance from the end of the member adjacent the head of the club to a.point a short distance from the end of said member remote from the headof said club, and being transversely divided adjacent the end of saidsplit remote from said head and to one side of said split, by a slot ofappreciable width, the said split and slot dividing said member intolong and short prongs having their proximate ends in confrontingrelation, and coacting as a piston and an abutment, moving within therange of the Width of said slot under variations in the relative slidingmovement of said prongs produced by bound and rebound of said shaft, anda rebound checking element confined in said slot.

7. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6, a layerof rubber between said member and the interior wall of said shaft.

8. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6,said..member being hollow at some distance below the diametrical planeof said slot. 4

9. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6, saidrebound checking element comprising a flexible capsule filled with air.

10. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6, themember of circular cross section being made of wood.

11. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6, themember of circular cross section being made of wood steamed and set intoa bowed shape with its convex side facing the same direction as theconvex side of said rebound checking element and inserted in said shaftwith its convex side facing the front of said shaft whereby an inherentrebound-resisting stress is set up in said member.

12. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6, themember of circular cross section extending to a point adjacent the lowerend of said shaft, the metal of the latter near said end being crimpedcircumferentially into the substance of said member for holding it inplace.

13. In a hollow resilient golf club shaft as claimed in claim 6,including a rubber sock on said member forming a thin rubber layerbetween said member and the inner wall of said shaft, against which therebound checking member presses in the course of its displacement,displacing the rubber of said sock.

ALLAN E. LARD.

